Blood and Loyalty
by Relienna
Summary: *AU* A Re-Imagining, Back to the beginning: Elena and Katherine Gilbert are teenage twin sisters with the seemingly perfect life: Young, hot and popular. But, they and their friends' lives are turned upside down when the Salvatore brothers and their 'family' move to Mystic Falls. D/E, S/K End Game. Slow Burn. *Rating May Change*
1. Prologue

**Summary:** AU. Elena and Katherine Gilbert are teenage twin sisters with the seemingly perfect life: Young, beautiful and popular. But, their lives and everyone around them are turned upside down when the Salvatore brothers and their 'family' move to town. D/E, S/K End Game.

 **DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING FROM "THE VAMPIRE DIARIES" BOOKS OR TV SERIES. I'm just a mediocre writer having some fun with the universe and its' characters!**

 **Author's Note (*Please Read*):** Ok, this is _very_ AU. It starts at the 'beginning' where almost everyone is human aside from the obvious few and I'm hoping it will be a long and progressive story. This story is a **slow burn**! I am essentially re-doing the TV show, so no couples are permanent on their way to the end! Pretty much everyone is alive and has a completely different back story than they did in the show. So please, read with an open mind and review!

 **.PROLOGUE.**

 _ **CHICAGO, 1920**_

"This is the 9th body in _two days_ , Stefan! This has to stop! You are going to ruin _everything!_ " The veins under his eyes darkened momentarily as he lost his temper at his brother. Damon Salvatore was not a man of patience.

"I'm _trying_ , Damon. But... the blood... it's too much. I can't control it."

The two brothers were in a small apartment in Chicago. It was a bleak place. It had been abandoned before they showed up. First just dusty, but now covered in blood. The boys had only been in town for just over a week and hadn't had a chance to re-decorate with much beside booze and carnage. Not that they cared much about the interior of their temporary nest. They had a larger agenda. They had a score to settle. Damon had a score to settle.

And Stefan's addiction was putting it at risk. Unideal.

There are good parts and bad parts to being a vampire. Quite frequently Stefan was most of the bad parts. When he didn't have his need for blood under control he was impulsive and violent. A ripper. Damon had spent the better part of the last 56 years helping Stefan as he fell off the wagon over and over again. It was draining and a pain in his ass, but Stefan was his brother and he would always stick by him no matter what. Besides, all of his anger was taken up by a single person. Klaus Mikaelson. The Original Vampire himself.

"I-I'm sorry, Damon. I know this was our chance. But, it consumes my thoughts. My veins feel like they are on fire with need. I can't stop being _hungry!_ " Stefan ground out the last word angrily, slamming his fist on the table. There was blood smeared around his mouth. His light brown hair, that was normally slicked back, was disheveled. He looked extra pale as if he was a walking corpse.

Damon rolled his eyes from behind him. "Yes, we are _eternally_ hungry, brother. That's the price of immortality."

"You know what I mean." Stefan growled, turning slowly to face him.

Damon had jett black hair and striking blue eyes. And, even though he was technically older, he was a tiny bit shorter than Stefan. His appearance was more clean and relaxed, despite the look of annoyance plastered acrossed his face. "Yes. And we need to fix this and fix it fast, because all of _this_ -" He gestered to the blood on the walls and the young flapper's body on the floor, "has been drawing attention to the press. And _that_ , Stefan, is what will tip off Klaus that we are here."

"I KNOW." Stefan barked, clenching his fists. Damon rubbed a hand over his face and sighed, defeated.

"Ok... I'll take care of this. You stay here and try to get some of the blood off before it stains. We will have to relocate to the edge of town and sober you up while there is still time." Damon grumbled while he grabbed a blanket off the dusty couch and draped it over the corpse. Stefan watched wordlessly as his brother gathered her up in his arms and headed for the door.

Damon had been stashing the bodies in unmarked graves along an old road just outside of town. He would always stand by his brother, but this was all such a big weight on his shoulders. Stefan had been so sweet and innocent during life... they both had. Who knew that he would be the darkest in undeath. Damon had been trying to plan out his revenge since they drew their first breaths in the afterlife, but Stefan's side effects hit fast and were nothing Damon had ever experienced or expected. Damon enjoyed the hunt and the kill on occasion too, but the cravings Stefan would experience for blood were beyond extreme.

A little over an hour had passed before he returned back to the apartment building. It gave him time to try to think of a plan. The stairwells and hallways felt too dark and too quiet as he made his ascend to the 4th floor. Something was off. It was only 7 o'clock at night, yet it seemed eerily calm. Something seemed very wrong as he approached the door to their place. It was ajar and Damon could hear the slow, almost-dead, heartbeat of two individuals when he tuned in his hearing. Stefan was not alone.

Not much scared Damon Salvatore, but he could feel an impending gulp stuck in his throat.

"Well, come on in now. No sense hiding out in the hall way."

Damon's blood, somehow, went colder in his veins. He recognized that voice. He had _nightmares_ about the deep British drawl. Nightmares of rich chocolate hair and screams of agony. He approached the door,nudged it open with his foot, and put on his best confident smirk. "Klaus Mikaelson! Fancy meeting you here." The lean and handsome original vampire was standing next to the crumpled, knocked out, body that was Stefan. His own smirk was just as self-assured, but filled with malice.

His pale blue eyes were boring into Damon's. Taunting. "Oh, good. You've heard of me. We can skip the formal introductions then." Klaus drawled with his thick British accent.

Damon started laughing. He couldn't help it. He laughed so hard that he bent forward, slightly, clutching his stomach. Klaus' smirk disappeared and he glared at the younger vampire. As Damon got ahold of himself, he wiped at his eyes and took in a deep ragged breath, "I'm sorry... That-That's just rich! You don't even _remember_ me, do you?"

Klaus cocked his head to the side, "I beg your pardon?"

"Does the name Nadya Petrova ring any bells?" All mirth was gone from Damon's eyes when the sentence left his mouth. His voice had gone hard.

There was a pause as the two dangerous men stared at each other. Klaus pretended to toss the name around in his brain for a moment. His smirk returned. "Wait, wait... I think I understand... You're the Salvatore brothers."

Damon inclined his ear towards Klaus waiting for the original to continue. His attitude was cocky. He made a mental note of his lack of self preservation.

"You, and your _pathetic_ blood-addicted brother, have been inconveniencing me by bringing attention to the body count in _my_ city all because you want to act out some painful-lover's revenge?" He reached down with lightning speed and grabbed Stefan's sleeping form by the back of the neck. He hoisted him up roughly.

Damon shrugged, defeated, "The blood binge clearly wasn't part of the plan. We just wanted to kill you."

It was Klaus' turn to laugh. " _Kill_ me? I really hope you aren't actually that stupid. I'm an original. I can't be killed. Your brother, however, might as well be mortal in comparison. You choose - should I rip out his heart or tear off his head?"

Damon's eyes filled with fresh fury, "Let my brother go. This was all my idea. Take me instead."

Klaus looked from Stefan to Damon. "Well, I was going to kill the both of you, if we're being honest. Besides, his existence seems pretty miserable to me. So much lust for blood and the hunt while holding on to _all_ the _guilt_ in between. I'm surprised he even has his humanity turned on." He slammed his free hand into Stefan's chest, gripping his heart. Stefan's eyes popped open, blood shot, as he gasped out in pain.

Damon threw a panicked hand out in from of him, "No, stop! Please! Take me! I'll do whatever you want!"

"My, my, how the tone has changed! You walked in here filled with confidence and threats, but now it's about doing _anything_ to save your brother? Two minutes you were on about Nadya Petrova and your suicide mission to punish me. Believe me when I say that Nadya's treacherous existence needed to be removed from this world." Klaus replied, smiling menacingly, a hand still around Stefan's heart as he groaned. "What if I told you that you didn't actually know a bloody thing about Nadya Petrova?"

Damon growled, but held his tongue. His eyes stayed glued to the hand clasping his brother's heart. Deep down he knew this had been a foolish plan. He _knew_ originals could not be killed. He had been blinded by rage for so long. All he could see was red. He was going to spend his eternity with _her_ until Klaus ripped it all away from him 56 years ago. Now his temper had brought them to this point. Their peril was his fault. His stubborness and grudgeholding ways would be the death of both of them.

"Just let my brother go. Please."

There was a long pause. The only sound in the room was Stefan's grunts of pain.

"You know what I find intriguing, Damon? I can look at you and see that, despite your serious lack of judgement and cocky disposition, you have a very admirable trait... _Loyalty_. You seek revenge for those you have loved. You stand by your brother even as he holds you back with his personal demons."

Damon's eyebrows drew together in a confusion as Klaus removed his hand from the cavity of his brother's chest. Stefan cried out and drew in a gasp of relief. Klaus dropped him and he fell to his knees.

"This is an offer I am going to throw on the table one time and one time _only_. I will spare your life and your brother's life on one condition." Klaus' grave tone left no room for discussion. Damon realized he was holding his breath.

"...Loyalty is my favorite quality. I find it to be the most important one. Friends and family are nothing without it. I want you to join my coven, Damon. I want you to pledge your loyalty to myself and my family. Do this - stand by my side, do my bidding, let your grudge _go_... and I will cure your brother of his addictions and we can forget this day ever happened."

That was the night that Damon Salvatore signed both he and his brother's souls to the devil.

 **A/N: Please Review! Chapter One coming soon!**


	2. Chapter One

**Summary:** AU, Back to the beginning. Elena and Katherine Gilbert are teenage twin sisters with the seemingly perfect life: Young, hot and popular. But, they and their friends' lives are turned upside down when the Salvatore brothers and their 'family' move to town. D/E, S/K.

 **DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING FROM "THE VAMPIRE DIARIES" BOOKS OR TV SERIES. I'm just a mediocre writer having some fun with the universe and its' characters!**

 **Author's Note (*Please Read*):** Ok, this is _very_ AU. It starts at the beginning where almost everyone is human and I'm hoping it will be a long and progressive story. It will be mostly a 'Delena' and 'Steferine' story. But, It will have other couples like Ana and Jeremy, Alarc and Jenna, Klaroline, etc. But this story is a **slow burn**! I am essentially re-doing the TV show if you will, so no couples are permanent! Pretty much everyone is alive and has a completely different back story than they did in the show. So please, read with an open mind and review! Yay!

 **.CHAPTER ONE.**

Elena and Katherine were identical in looks, but far different in almost every other way. Elena was compassionate, giving and on her way to valedictorian. Katherine was darker - sarcastic, flirtacious and (more often than not) selfish. And though the two girls were incredibly different, they were sisters. And as sisters they always had each others' back. They did tend to hang around different people, but still considered themselves close as could be. Elena was in more of the 'A' group. She was on and off dating Matt Donovan, the captain of the foot ball team. She was head cheerleader and taking all AP classes that she was passing with flying colors. She had aspirations of becoming a doctor and living the white-picket-fence life. Elena had it all figured out...

Katherine not so much.

She was not as interested in sports and academics. She _was_ dating a football player named Tyler Lockwood. But, their relationship tended to be more physical than anything. Katherine was the type to skip class for shopping with her blonde bombshell of a best friend, Caroline, and attend under age keg parties instead of doing her homework. She had absolutely _no_ idea what she wanted out of life. All she knew was that she didn't want to spend it in Mystic Falls. She was getting out of this town and this life as soon as she graduated. However, they were only about to start their junior year of high school. White fences and dreams of waking up "anywhere but here" were still two years away for them.

"Do you _ever_ get tired of jeans and sweaters? You can show more skin than your forearms now and then. I promise you won't be struck by lightning the second you leave the house." Katherine teased, leaning against the doorway of her sister's bedroom. Their styles were just as different as their personalities. Katherine chose tight clothing in dark colors and let her deep chocolate locks fall in loose curls. Elena was the more conservative and, what Katherine considered, "plain". Most of her outfits involved jeans or jean shorts with generic colored tank tops or a long sleeved shirt. Her deep mahogany hair was always perfectly straight and silky soft. She had been brushing the smooth strands infront of her vanity mirror as Katherine spoke.

"Some people actually _like_ respect over rumors." Elena shot back before sticking her tongue out playfully.

Katherine smirked, "Who says they're rumors?" She winked and adjusted her bosom, bringing attention to the cleavage that was showing. Elena made a noise in the back of her throat feigning disgust as Katherine disappeared from view and headed down the stairs with a laugh. Elena shook her head before applying a small amount of lip gloss and following her sister. The whole family was in the kitchen. Her mother, Miranda, smiled at her as she plopped on one of the stools and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter. "Look at both of my beautiful girls! I can't believe you guys are 17 already. Seems like just yesterday was teddy bears and pajama themed sleep overs with Caroline and Bonnie."

"Please, god, don't start crying." Katherine mumbled from her seat next to Elena before taking a bite of her own apple. Elena chuckled.

"Let your mother be emotional. That's what parents do. Do you guys need a ride to school this morning?" Their father, Grayson, asked. He had just finished pouring a cup of coffee and was gathering papers into his briefcase.

"No, thanks. Matt is picking us up." Elena said cheerfully. Miranda gave Katherine a disapproving look as she made a sound of annoyance. She attempted to cover it up with a cough.

"What's wrong with Matt? I think he's a charming young man! Tyler could learn some tips about being a gentleman from him." Their mother said, staring pointedly at her. Katherine giggled.

"Matt and Tyler have been best friends since grade school. I think if anything was going to rub off by now it would have." She responded, standing up and throwing her apple core in the trash can. Both girls moved to grab their back packs when a horn sounded outside.

"That's for us! Love you!" Elena exclaimed, kissing both parents on the cheek and rushing for the door. Katherine went to do the same and was stopped by her father after the interaction. He grabbed a navy colored sweater that was draped over the back of a dining room chair and held it out in front of her.

"I don't want any phone calls this year about 'dress code violations', Kat." He said, referring to the tight and revealing spaghetti strapped top she was sporting. She rolled her eyes and took the sweater from his outstretched hand. "Aye, aye, Sir." She sighed before rushing out the front door to Matt Donovan's very old and very blue pick up truck.

"Katherine." Matt acknowledged with a forced smile. Matt was an attractive guy. Dirty blonde hair, incredible blue eyes, athletic build... and yet he was completely boring to Katherine. He was too nice and too predictable. "Donovan." She responded, not bothering to look at him while she climbed in the back seat and fastened her seat belt.

Elena sighed quietly. She really wished her boyfriend and her sister could get along, but it was always tense and awkward. Matt was too "goody two shoes" for Katherine. Elena was always getting, what felt like, lectures from her twin about how she could do better. She was a straight A student who was probably going to get a full ride to any college she wanted. Matt was a mediocre foot ball player who could barely maintain the GPA to play because spent most of his time working to pay bills his mother couldn't. Elena saw him for his big heart and goofy smile. He was enough for her and she was in love with him, but Katherine insisted on a regular basis that he was holding Elena back. And the more she pushed about it, the more Elena started to feel doubts.

The drive to school was short, which was good because it was filled with uncomfortable silence. Katherine was the first to hop out of the truck as it had barely pulled into a student parking spot. Her dark curly head disappeared quickly into the sea of teenagers heading towards the school entrance. Elena turned to look at Matt, happy for the tension disappearing. They both smiled before leaning in for a few kisses.

"Why does your sister hate me?" Matt asked when they pulled away. Elena raised an eyebrow.

"You are thinking about my sister when I'm making out with you?" She teased. He laughed.

"Not exactly. It's just that car ride was _really_ awkward. I mean, she's dating my best friend and _you_ , my girlfriend, are her sister. You think there would be non-hostility by association or something." He complained. Elena sighed and brought a hand to his cheek. She looked into his bright blue eyes before kissing him gently.

"First of all, I don't know if I would call Kat and Tyler's relationship 'dating'. And second of all, I love my sister... but she's a bitch. Everyone knows that. Who says there is a rhyme or reason for her acting like she doesn't like you?" She kissed his nose, grabbed her backpack, and hopped out of the truck before he could keep prodding. She could tell by Matt's face that that answer didn't satisfy him. Matt was genuinely a good guy and probably wanted to repair whatever the issue was so he could have some hint of a friendship with his girlfriend's twin. But, Elena didn't have the heart to tell him that her sister was a snob who referred to him as trash. (Paraphrasing... ok, maybe not paraphrasing.) Matt dropped the subject and they held hands as they entered the school and walked to first period together.

Katherine was tempted to skip her classes and do, literally, _anything_ else, but her parents had given her several speeches prior to her first day of school about how this year her behavior needed to "change drastically". Her parents would never admit that Elena was their favorite, but Katherine would bet a lot of money on it. She just couldn't be the doe-eyed ambitious and innocent daughter they wanted her to be. I mean, they were twins not _clones_. Katherine liked being different. She liked being bad. She loved her sister and respected who she was, but that did not mean she aspired to be like her. It was too much fun being the wild child.

The bell was going to ring any minute, but Katherine was set on finding Tyler for a pre-learning make out session. He was usually found at the back of the school near the football field with his annoying and moronic jock buddies. Sure enough, when she exited the back ramp of the school and headed towards the familiar chain link fence bordering the field - that's where he was. But, instead of the usual circle-jerk of letterman losers, there were two blonde bimbos chatting him up... He was smirking and nodding his head to whatever it was they were saying. Katherine fumed.

As stated before, their relationship was mostly physical. The amount of true emotional attachment that the pair had for each other was low on any scale. But, Katherine was a territorial minx. Just because she didn't want him _all_ of the time didn't mean she wanted fake blonde bitches with too much eye liner giving him sex eyes.

Katherine approached just as the two girls were leaving. Tyler turned his head to notice her and did a damn good job of not looking guilty. He reached out to pull her into an embrace, but she took a step back and crossed her arms. "What did _they_ want?" Katherine tossed out in her usual throaty tone, tilting her head. Tyler sighed.

"They were asking about whether or not I could get my uncle Mason to supply the beer for the bonfire on Friday night." Tyler now crossed his arms, mocking her.

"Oh, is _that_ all?" Her sarcasm made his jaw clench. It would have been sexy if she wasn't pissed off. "Because I'm pretty sure I could see one of them drooling."

"Knock it off, Kat." He grabbed his bag off the ground as the bell rang. "I don't do jealousy." He slung the bag over his shoulder and stormed passed her.

Katherine laughed while she turned to watch his back as he left. "Tell that to the guy you punched two weeks ago."

"That guy grabbed your ass! It's not even close to the same thing." He threw his bag over his shoulder before disappearing into the school from the ramp.

Katherine's jaw was the one to clench this time. Her eyes narrowed in thought. He wanted to claim he didn't do jealousy? He could go right ahead and be a lying douche. Katherine was getting bored with him anyway. It was time to spice it up with some fresh meat. The only issue was the amount of male real estate in this school was seriously lacking. No matter, she was finding another date to the bon fire on Friday and she was going to relish in rubbing it in Tyler's face.

The bell rang signaling the end of 3rd period. Elena and her best friend, Bonnie, exited history class together with Matt following at their heals. Elena groaned, "God, why is Coach Tanner such an ass? I swear he gets stricter every year." Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"I heard Angela Lane accused him of sexual harrassment last year and he almost got fired." Matt piped in as they rounded a corner, heading towards Elena's locker.

"What? That's disgusting!" Elena replied. Tyler Lockwood strode up to join them and had over heard.

"I heard a rumor that when cheerleading and football practice is over that he sneaks into the girls' locker room and sniffs all the spanks he can find." He added causing all three of the other teens to made noises of revulsion.

"That's sick, Ty." Matt laughed and Elena rolled her eyes.

"Where's my sister at? You guys didn't decide to go for a broom-closet quickie?" She teased as they finally came to a stop at her locker. She lazily turned the combination and pulled the door open with a 'pop'. Tyler shrugged.

"She went psycho on me this morning because those two sophomore chicks, Courtney and Megan, were asking about beer for this Friday." He responded. Suddenly the locker door that had been open next to Elena's closed, revealing Caroline Forbes. Katherine's best friend. The blonde girl gave Tyler a snobby look.

"Wait? Those two have names? I spent all last year referring to them as 'Slut #1' and 'Slut #2'". She threw out before slamming the locker closed. She turned her attention to Elena. "And your sister skipped out to go to the graveyard with Vi-..." Caroline stopped mid-sentence, looking from Elena to Matt.

"Vicki is cutting class? Seriously?" Matt sighed deeply and looked at the ceiling in annoyance.

"Our dad is going to murder Kat." Elena grumbled and finally closed her locker after retrieving her book. Matt started going off about his own sister's lack of care and responsibility that Elena wasn't really listening to. The other 4 teens around her talked amongst themselves as she suddenly became very distracted.

The most handsome man she had ever seen was walking down the hall.

He was tall, chiseled and dark haired. He was a little on the pale side, but that didn't diminish his attractiveness by a thread. The sunglasses and leather jacket he had on gave him a bad boy vibe that was overwhelmingly sexy. Elena found herself stunned and reached out her hand to tug on Caroline's sleeve. She too seemed to notice this mystery new guy. Bonnie, Tyler and Matt were still carrying on in a discussion that Elena partially recognized to be about the football game schedules.

"Care... Who is _that_?" Elena whispered, nodding her dark head in the new guys' direction. Caroline's smile was already flirtacious.

" _That..._ is Stefan Salvatore. He was in my 1st period English class... I'm pretty sure we're getting married. I'm thinking a June wedding." She paused to giggle, "What are you oogling for anyway? You already have a boy toy." Elena looked to her side just in time to catch Matt and Tyler laughing and high fiving over something while Bonnie rolled her dark brown eyes at them. She looked back at Caroline.

"I wasn't 'oogling'. I've just never seen him before." She lied, feeling a blush creep up on her cheeks. Caroline gave her a judgey look before heading in the direction of her next class, following closely behind Stefan. Elena sighed and shook her head. Caroline was right. She was happily taken by Matt. But, that didn't mean she could appreciate a good looking guy now and then. Especially when he practically _dripped_ perfection.

The bell rang causing the group of friends to head to their next class.

"Is it really smart to be out here just the two of us?" Vicki was holding a joint in her hand as she said it. The question was serious, but her expression was that of someone trying very hard not to start laughing. Katherine rolled her eyes at the younger girl. Caroline refused to skip class on the first day of school, so she decided that little Donovan would have to do. The girl loved to have a good time just as much as Kat did. However, she wasn't the most mature company.

"It's a graveyard in the middle of the day. What's the worst that could happen?" Kat replied in a bored tone, scrolling through her phone. She wasn't the smoking type. Alcohol was more of her type of party. The issue was if she drank in the middle of the day she was more likely to come home from 'school' drunk... and that meant grounding for an eternity.

"Haha, yeah you're right. Must just be the weed." Vicki chuckled, taking another drag. Katherine rolled her eyes and moved to stand up from the gravestone she had been sitting against.

"I'm gonna take a walk."

"And leave me here alone!?" Vicki exclaimed, jumping up from the ground herself.

"Oh, please. We both know Jeremy is going to show up any minute." Katherine said, already exiting the graveyard through the black metal gate at the edge of the woods. Jeremy Gilbert was Elena and Katherine's cousin. He and Vicki had been good friends for the last couple of years and secretly dating. Katherine knew about it - Elena did not. Jeremy was around enough that both twins considered him more like a brother than a cousin. He didn't think Elena would approve of him dating her boyfriend's little sister. So, he asked Kat to keep quiet about it. She didn't keep much from her sister, but she barely considered this an important secret.

The sunlight shimmered through the leaves. The woods near Mystic Falls felt intimidating at night, but during the day were so green and beautiful. She could hear a creek in the upcoming distance. Katherine knew it would lead to the river under Wickery Bridge. She just needed some time to think. Tyler had royally pissed her off this morning. Caroline had made it worse by refusing her proposal to blow off class to have fun. Her parents were going to give her a piece of their mind when she got home... it wasn't a great first day of the school year.

She was lost in thought when she tripped over a tree root. "God, what the hell?"

It wasn't a tree root.

It took Katherine all of 3 seconds, that felt like an eternity, to process what she was looking at.

It was a girl not much older than her. She had wavy red hair and emerald green eyes... Eyes that were empty, staring emotionless into the sky. Her lips were parted in a silent plea for help. Her entire head was surrounded by a giant pool of blood. Her neck looked as if it has been mauled by some sort of animal.

Katherine scurried backwards on her ass away from the body, gasping for air, hands digging into the dirt. Her eyes locked onto the blood. _So much blood!_

She tilted her head back and screamed.

 **A/N: Dun, dun, DUN!**

 **Although, honestly in my head I heard the song "The Boys are Back in Town" play in my mind. Hehe! Please Review!**


	3. Chapter Two

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING FROM "THE VAMPIRE DIARIES" BOOKS OR TV SERIES. I'm just a mediocre writer having some fun with the universe and its' characters!**

 **.CHAPTER TWO.**

The woods were filled with police offers and members of the local Animal Control Unit in less than 20 minutes. Vicki had heard Katherine's screams and ran to her, letting out her own shriek of horror at the site. They had barely managed to pull themselves together to call the authorities. But, they did. And then the authorities called their parents. Katherine was leaning against one of the ambulences with a blanket draped over her shoulders by the edge of the graveyard. It wasn't cold, but she appreciated the comfort. She couldn't get the images out of her head: red hair, emerald eyes... blook soaked clothes and dirt. Katherine had never seen a dead body before. It was worse than what you imagine when you read books or watch movies. Her normally sunkissed skin looked pale and her eyes were haunted as the images played over and over in her head. She didn't even see her mother approaching her. She ran up and embraced her daughter, causing Katherine to jump.

"Oh my god, Katherine! Are you ok?" Miranda Gilbert breathed out, pulling away to hold her daughter at arm's length. "Honey, what were you even doing out here?"

Her deep brown eyes linked up with her mother's, "Tyler pissed me off." It was all she could manage, her voice shaking.

Miranda sighed, frowning, but couldn't bring herself to lecture her daughter at a time like this. "I'm just glad you are alright, sweetheart. I finished talking with Sheriff Forbes a moment ago. They think it was an animal of some kind - a mountain lion or something." She brushed some of Katherine's hair behind her ear as she spoke.

"A mountain lion?" Katherine repeated dully. Her eybrows crinkled together. The images played again through her head. It didn't seem right.

"Yeah. Let's just get you home. Your father is picking up Elena from school."

"What? What time is it?" Katherine suddenly seemed more awake at the announcement.

"He's picking her up early. The call scared him to death too, he wants us to spend tonight as a family." Miranda replied. She put her arm around her daughter's shoulder and led her to the waiting SUV parked at the end of the street. Kat looked over her shoulder, sparing one final glance at the horror she had witnessed.

As fate would have it she looked just in time to see them loading up the gourney into the ambulence - the white covered sheet stained with blood.

Elena was chewing on her bottom lip as she waited outside the school for her father to pick her up. The assistant principle had pulled her and Matt out of class to inform them that their sisters had been involved in an emergency. They let Elena know her father was on his way to get her. Elena didn't know what that meant, but her heart sank coldly into her stomach at the news. She hurriedly gathered up everything in her backpack and threw worried glances at Bonnie as the two of them exited English class.

Matt had taken off in his blue truck towards the graveyard, giving her a quick kiss laced with uneasiness before he left.

The front of the school was eerily quiet with 2 hours still left in the day. Elena's abdomen was filled with anxiety waiting for her father. _What could Kat have gotten into?_ Elena found herself thinking. The girl was a partier, but she wasn't big on drugs. It's not like she could have overdosed. The assistant principle could give no information about the situation what so ever. Only that "There was some sort of accident in the woods near the town graveyard. Your sisters have been involved." _Gee, thanks, Miss Webber._

Movement to her right caught the corner of her eye. She gasped and brought a hand to her heart when the mystery hot guy, Stefan Salvatore, approached. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." He smiled warmly. She could feel her cheeks getting warm. His voice was phenomenal.

"No, no, it's ok. I'm just not myself right now. There's apparently some kind of emergency that I know nothing about, that my sister is part of, and now I'm waiting for my dad..." She rambled, mentally kicking herself. Why was she so nervous? He was just a guy. _Deep breaths, Elena._

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she's ok." Stefan replied, concern enveloping his features. Elena mustered up a smile.

"Thanks... I'm Elena, by the way. You're new here, right? What are you doing out here during 4th period?" She shot out, tilting her head to the side. A part of her was grateful for the distraction while she waited.

"I'm, uh, Stefan. Stefan Salvatore." He held up a folded piece of paper, "I was on my way to the office from wood shop. I wanted to see about switching classes."

His voice was like velvet and cake. Smooth and delicious. He was no longer wearing the sunglasses he had on earlier, revealing crystal blue eyes that seemed to almost glow. His dark hair wasn't quite black -but a deep brown with hints of sandy coloring. Elena felt like he belonged on a movie poster, not in high school. And the way he was _looking_ at her. She didn't even know how she was able to speak.

"Ah, I s-see." She stuttered, looking shyly down at her feet for a second before bringing her dark brown orbs back up to look into his blue ones. His smile was mesmerizing. _What is wrong with you?_ She screamed in her mind.

The silence was suddenly thick with tension and Stefan chuckled nervously. Even that was sexy. "Well, I hope everything with your family is ok. Will I get to see you around?" He asked hopefully. Elena nodded.

"Yeah, um," The dark green color of her father's car pulling up to the curb caught her attention and she waved before moving in that direction, "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." She offered over her shoulder as she jogged down the path to the street and jumped in the car.

"Who was that?" Grayson asked as his daughter hopped in. The tone was curious, but filled with worry. Elena knew it was for Katherine.

"New guy. Don't know much about him." Elena responded, watching him retreat into the building as the car drove off. _But, I sure would like to._ She gave herself a mental slap. "Is Katherine ok?"

"Your mother just called and said she is doing fine. The horrifying gist of it is she found the dead body of a girl in the woods. Her and Vicki Donovan together." He responded.

"Oh my god." Elena exclaimed, eyes wide. "Who was it?"

"I don't know who, but your mother said it was some sort of animal attack."

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Katherine cried out. The twins were sitting on the couch next to each other. Katherine's arms were crossed over her chest, pouting, and Elena had her elbow on the armrest - leaning her head on her hand.

"Kat it's the first day of the year and you have already gotten yourself into trouble despite everything we talked about this summer." Her father reprimanded, "What if that had been _you_? Sheriff Forbes called me to confirm it was an animal attack and it had to have happened less than 15 minutes before you came across the poor girl! She said you and Vicki were lucky!"

He had both hands on his hips. He was wearing his usual business-like attire, but had taken off the suit jacket and his tie had come slightly loose. His expression was exhausted. "Her name was Samantha Rhymes. Did either of you know her?"

Elena frowned and nodded, "She graduated last year. She was the head of the yearbook committee. She loved photography." Her voice revealed her sadness - thinking about the hopes and dreams of a girl who, so young, met such a tragic end.

Miranda was behind them in the kitchen cooking dinner. The house smelled of delicious garlic and roasting chicken. Grayson rubbed a hand over his face and gave his wife a loving, but sad, smile before turning his attention back to the girls, "The skipping class _has_ to stop. Everything in me wants to ground you, Kat. But, after what you went through today I can't bring myself to do it." He admitted.

Katherine's expression relaxed slightly with relief. "I'll try to do better." She mumbled.

Grayson seemed to look heartbroken for a moment as he pulled his daughter up from the couch into a hug, "If anything had happened to you I don't know what I would have done." He whispered. And, in that moment, Katherine felt more love from her father than she thought she had ever felt in her 17 years.

The family ate dinner happily that night.

Unfortunately, Katherine had nightmares of red hair, screams, and wine glasses filled of blood.

The library was quiet. It was Thursday and since Elena's grades had been nothing short of emaculate the last two years her 6th period was a free study period. Her family had become closer than ever and Katherine had been on good behavior the last 2 days. Although still as snarky as ever. She and Tyler were still fighting and it was not doing well for her mood. Elena honestly didn't get why it was affecting her sister so much - they were barely a couple to begin with. But, Katherine was hot tempered and stubborn.

Elena had been spending the last 2 days with Bonnie since Matt wasn't around. Vicki had been more haunted by what the girls had found at the graveyard than Katherine and wasn't coming to school. Matt had been staying home with her. Their mom wasn't really in the picture that often, so it was usually Matt taking care of his younger sister. Elena had dropped off his homework for him, but that was all she had seen of him.

She was sitting in a chair working on her history paper when someone sat across from her at the long wooden table. Elena looked up to see Stefan Salvatore. Her cheeks instantly flushed, but she smiled. "Oh, hey!"

He smiled back and she felt her heart melt a little, "Hey yourself. I was hoping I'd see you again."

"Sooo, you're stalking me?" She teased, biting her lower lip. _Seriously, Elena? Seriously?_

Stefan laughed. It was an exquisite sound. Her breath caught in her throat. "Nah. I'll be honest... I'm skipping gym class."

Elena grinned, "Why's that? You definitely seem built like the type to play sports. You should consider trying out for the football team. They could use the help." Her cheeks colored again. _You are the most embarrassing person and worst girlfriend ever._

Stefan sat back in his chair, "Uh, yeah, maybe. I used to play. I guess I can be the active type, I'm just not in the mood today." He responded. "I think I saw your sister around... Either that or I'm seeing double."

Elena giggled, "Yeah, we're twins. Her name is Katherine."

"And she's been ok since finding the... girl?" Stefan's face darkened, but it left as quickly as it came. Elena wasn't even sure she caught it.

"She was pretty spooked, but Kat is resilient. She's been ok." She replied and Stefan nodded with a small smile.

"Good... So I hear there's a bonfire party by the falls tomorrow."

"Yeah! They have one the first Friday of every school year. Booze, music, fun." Elena was starting to pack her things in her back pack, realizing the bell would be ringing for the end of the day soon.

"Is it the, uh, kind of thing people take dates to?" Stefan threw out. It was the first time she had heard him sound nervous. It was just as attractive as everything else about him.

"I suppose they do. Got your eye on someone already?" She asked, busying herself still with her backpack. Silence followed her question and she finally looked up at him to see him staring at her.

 _Ohhhh. He means you, you idiot!_

"O-Oh! I'm flattered. But, I'm going with someone already. My boyfriend - Matt Donovan. He's the football captain." Her tone was apologetic. She felt stupid for her flirty manuerisms. And a part of her was very disappointed. She wouldn't let that part of her surface. She loved Matt. _If you love him so much then why did it take you this long to bring him up!_

Stefan's expression didn't change. He politely smiled, "Ah, well that makes sense. Beautiful girl, football captain. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable just now."

Elena shook her head, "No, not at all!"

The bell rang. _Thank god. You are such a loser._

"But, hey, maybe I'll still see you there! You should meet some of my friends!"

Stefan nodded, "Yeah, that'd be great. New guy always needs friends." He joked. They exchanged awkward smiles and she brushed passed him to leave for the day.

"Jesus, Katherine, as if you weren't dark enough already." Caroline joked with her best friend as she drove her home from school. "I still can't believe you had to go through that."

Katherine rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well. I just want to move on from it."

"You are seriously crazy. I would _seriously_ be in therapy right now." Caroline replied, sideways glancing at her friend.

"It's not like it wasn't traumatizing, ok? I just don't want to be like Vicki held up in my bedroom thinking about it all day. I want to spend time with my friends and find someone to make Tyler jealous tomorrow night. I don't want to think about cougars mauling innocent girls and the drama of it all." Katherine snapped, leaning her head against the car window in the passenger's seat.

"I thought it was a mountain lion."

" _So_ not the point, Care." Katherine turned her head to glare at the blonde. She shrugged, frowning.

"So, you still are on about making Tyler jealous? He's a dick. Why don't you just find someone to actually be with so you can forget about him once and for all?" Caroline offered.

"Relationships are a lie, Caroline. Look at Elena and Matt. She's going to marry his boring ass and 30 years later realize what a mistake she made with nothing to show for it except for 3 kids and a golden retriever." Katherine practically gagged. Caroline chuckled.

"Geez, does your sister know these cruel thoughts of yours?" 

"Oh, she knows. But, she insists it's _love_." Katherine used her fingers to make quotation marks around the word. "And apparently I don't understand because I've never _experienced_ it. Who needs love? A girl only needs herself. I'm strong, confident, and hot as hell. I don't need chocolates, flowers and the promise of eternity to keep me going."

Caroline was quiet for a minute, "You know, you are actually _really_ depressing."

"And you're annoyingly cheery. That's why we make great best friends. Balance. Now let's stop by the Mystic Grill. I want a cheeseburger and to check out guys."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head. "God, you are so weird."

Elena knocked on the front door of Matt's house readily holding a folder with his and Vicki's assignments for the day. The door opened slowly and Matt offered a weak smile, "Hey, thanks, babe." He kissed her cheek gently and Elena caught his lips for a quick kiss as he pulled back. He chuckled. He was in a regular grey T-shirt and black basketball shorts. He looked tired.

"How's Vicki?" She asked. Matt sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I've never seen her like this before. All she does is cry. I've gotten her to eat and write like one paragraph of an English paper, but she's in a dark spot. Is Kat going through this?" Matt asked, uneasy.

Elena shook her head, "No, not so much. I mean, I think it's harder on her than she will admit. I heard her cry out in her sleep last night. But, on the surface she's hiding it. You know Katherine, she's tough as nails." She offered. Matt nodded.

Elena felt a jolt of nerves in her stomach suddenly, remembering her conversation earlier with Stefan. "Do you think you'll be back tomorrow? Or that you'll be going to the bonfire?"

Matt shrugged, "I don't know, Elena. I know Vicki isn't going tomorrow and with my mom still out of town I really don't feel comfortable leaving her here alone."

Elena tried her best not to sound disappointed, "No, yeah - I understand. I was just asking. I'll catch a ride with Bonnie and maybe we will stop by afterwards to check in on you guys." Matt smiled regretfully and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sounds good. I love you."

"I love you too."

The bonfire was always the biggest event at the beginning of the year. The teenagers got more excited for it than the homecoming dance. Mostly because it was easier to sneak alcohol and pot. Katherine had shown up with all the girls: Elena, Bonnie and Caroline. But, herself and Caroline quickly branched off to one of the kegs to get started drinking as soon as possible.

"Welp, I'm a failure. No arm candy. But, at least I look good." Katherine teased, posing. She was wearing a deep red spaghetti strapped top that clung like a second skin to her curves, exposing quite a bit of cleavage. Her pants were midnight black skinny jeans that tucked into black high-heeled boots. She had 3 silver loose-hoops bracelettes for accesory. Her long hair fell passed her shoulders in loose curls. Caroline looked her up and down and nodded in agreement.

"Yep. I feel ugly next you for sure." It was a mostly a joke. Caroline looked pretty good herself. She had picked a bright blue dress that was flowy, but short, showing off her long legs. She had her hair tossed up into a messy, but sexy, bun. Blonde tendrils framed her face. She pushed one out of the way as she gulped down some of the warm alcohol from her traditional red plastic cup.

Katherine slammed down her whole cup and went to refill it. Caroline watched, concerned, but said nothing. She slammed the next one down and then took a deep breath. She was seeing it again: red hair, green eyes... blood. _Get a grip, Katherine. It's over._

"I'm gonna go towards the falls, I think. All the bodies are stressing me out." Katherine said, gesturing around her at all the loud teens surrounding them, bathed in firelight and dancing to the loud rock music that was blasting. Caroline shrugged and turned to head back to Elena and Bonnie when she ran straight into Tyler Lockerwood.

"Ugh! Watch where you are going, you brute!" She snapped, looking down at her dress to make sure she hadn't spilled any beer.

"Yeah, yeah, drama queen. So, is Kat over this bullshit or what?" He asked. He crossed his arms and stared at her impatiently.

Caroline scoffed, "No, _Ty_ , she isn't. Is it that freakin' hard to just apologize? You two are bothering the shit out of me."

"Why should I apologize for nothing? She is the one acting like a possesive bitch."

Caroline shoved him with the hand that wasn't holding a beer, "Ugh! You are such a moron! Did you not hear what she went through?"

Tyler looked down at the ground for a moment before bringing his eyes back to hers. "Yeah, I heard. It pisses me off that she didn't even come talk to me about it."

Caroline scoffed again, "Because _everything_ is about _you_ , right? Not her comfort? If you really cared about her you would swallow your stupid man-pride and just-"

Tyler rolled his eyes and interrupted her, "Look, whatever, Caroline. When she's ready to talk, tell her I'll be waiting."

Caroline gave him a sarcastic smile that said ' _Go fuck yourself_ '. "Yeah, _that's_ what I'm gonna do."

Katherine leaned against the railing that over looked the falls. She was alone on the little viewing bridge. None of the couples had made their way to make out yet since it was still early into the party. The gathering was far enough behind her that the music was barely audible over the splashing of the falls.

She heard a loud snap down the path to her left - leading into the woods.

Katherine turned her head slowly and stared down the path leading into trees and darkness. Oddly, she wasn't scared. There was over 100 kids out in the woods tonight, it was probably just some light weight who was already drunk and throwing up.

Another snap.

Intrigued she let go of the railing and walked down the rickety bridge and down the path a ways. "Hellooo?"

No reply.

She sighed, stopping after so many paces. It was dark and the party was getting uncomfortably far behind her. Flashes of the redhead in her mind, she suddenly was covered in goosebumps. It was colder than it had been a few moments ago. _You're a fool, Katherine Gilbert. Turn your cute ass around now._ Suddenly feeling less confident and more freaked out, she turned around quickly to make haste back the way she came-

And smacked right into a rock hard body. She slowly lifted her eyes up to raven black hair and the most striking blue orbs she had ever seen.

"Boo."

 **A/N: Chapter 2! Had fun writing this one! Review and let me know what you think!**


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